I attended the Oxford Lecture on Free Speech by Roger Scruton last Wednesday, and as usual he was on top form. Scruton has a way of raising questions within the minds of his listeners rather than stating his own opinions directly . The core of his message was the need to dismantle political correctness, as not even a multi-cultural society can be built on such foundations. I was pleased to see the audience appeared to have more young members than old, and was a mix of ethnicities, which makes me feel that my suspicions were correct all along - Conservatism is the real movement for tolerance, and it is ourselves who are most likely to find a way of peaceful co-existence because fewer conservatives, no matter what their background, are concerned with victim politics, and don't elevate their own personal issues over that of societies. Is it possible the demographic of the audience - distinctly split between those over 60 and those under 29 shows a second wave of conservative thought in the young? I did the front cover of the Salisbury for the spring issue , which I feel very privileged about, and I've wrote a few articles for them to. I've also found conservatives much more likely to listen to my experiences , when I've said to liberals that benefits are eroding the social character of the working class, I've been met with hostility and dismissal. the truth simply doesn't fit their narrative. I think the left likes to congratulate itself as the side that defends the vulnerable in society, of the morally righteous, and they have been dictating the moral landscape for far to long. There are many black, gay, Muslim and female conservatives , young , old, rich and poor, and we need to demonstrate to the left that they hold no righteous high ground, only the arrogance to imagine their own ethos to be morally superior , whilst assuming less agency of those they presume to protect. Society moves forward with debate and free speech, not by censorship and identity politics, and by introspection on ones own beliefs and conduct. I'm putting together a website of my work, as I gear myself towards creating more political cartooning . As noted by Scruton in the lecture - humour is a powerful weapon against ideology.

It all sounds quite interesting, Lindsey. I wonder if that speech is available on youtube? I made a few searches, but everything I found seemed to be something else. I remember being quite impressed by Scruton's book England: An Elegy. I'm sure hearing him speak would be equally instructive, especially if I have the benefit of a recommendation.